2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Rouge, Ch. de Beaucastel

This is a classic blend of 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvèdre, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise and the balance made up, as is traditional, of the other permitted varietals. Marc Perrin, in playful mood, describes the Grenache in terms of a beautiful lady, or even a firework, then the Mourvèdre as the discrete power behind the throne, growing ever more powerful over time and the Syrah as the structural intermediary, the go-between if you like, between the two. Leaving aside the dubious benefits of such personification, the wine does indeed impress with its forward and ripe fruit, but behind that with its grippy tannins and savoury weight at the back of the mouth. A triumphant future seems assured.Simon Field MW, BBR Buyer, February 2012

Beaucastel occupies an almost homogenous 100 hectare plot in the north-east zone of the appellation, the zone which is perhaps the most resistant to rapid climate change as it is the most exposed to the Mistral and has a great number of the famous pudding stones, with their capacity to regulate excess temperature over the course of a day and a night. The reputation of the property continues to climb, its stewardship now secure in the hands of the next generation of Perrins. One of whom, the affable yet very industrious Marc, maintains that he has not seen a vintage better than 2010. For him the nearest comparisons are 1978 and 1962, the latter of which he will not have encountered personally, merely though the enviable library stock held at the property.

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Scores and Reviews

JANCIS

18/20

PARKER

92-94+/100

JANCIS - Mourvèdre was especially good in 2010, apparently. Very dense and meaty on the nose. Appetising and no shortage of flesh but no heavy sweetness or alcohol. Really quite racy! Complex. Real lift and line through it.(Jancis Robinson & Julia Harding MW - www.jancisrobinson.com - 20 Dec 2011)

PARKER - The Chateau Beaucastel 2010 Chateauneuf du Pape is a classic blend of 30% Grenache, 30% Mourvedre, 10% Syrah, 10% Counoise and the balance other permitted varietals. Surprisingly ripe and soft with a dense ruby/purple color as well as lots of blueberry, scorched earth and blackberry notes intermixed with hints of roast beef and bouquet garni, this wine has structure, but the fruit dominates at present. By the standards of most top vintages of Beaucastel, this cuvee will be drinkable earlier than the normal ten years. I suspect it will put on more weight, so give it 5-6 years of cellaring and drink it over the following three decades.(Robert Parker - Wine Advocate #197 Oct 2011)

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The Producer

Chateau Beaucastel has been run by several generations of the Perrin family, beginning with the late Jacques Perrin (who died in 1978), then the brothers Jean-Pierre and Francois, and now their sons Thomas, Marc, Pierre, and Mathieu. The Perrins own an impressive portfolio of wines, from the extraordinary values, to the top-end world classics, including a sizeable operation under the Perrin et Fils label, as well as the well-priced negociant brand La Vielle Ferme, all of which showcase the complexity and diversity of terroirs in the Rhone region.

Beaucastel was one of the very first domaines to practise organic viticulture - namely no use of herbicides, insecticides or any other chemicals. Unusually, all 13 permitted grape varieties are grown although it is Mourvèdre which is Beaucastel`s signature grape, often making up a third of the final blend.

Beaucastel is renowned for its controversial vinification "á chaud" which involves rapidly heating the incoming grapes, which extracts colour and aroma and kills harmful bacteria. Beaucastel's wines are matured in 500-litre oak casks and, after blending, are bottled with a light fining and without being filtered.

From vines in close proximity to the great Châteauneuf-du-Pape property itself, the Coudoulet de Beaucastel is famous in the Wine Trade for being vastly superior to its Côtes du Rhône appellation tag. Low yields and high quality fruit underwrite the quality, and six months ageing in foudre completes the picture. The Perrins consider this wine to be an integral part of their impressive portfolio.

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The Grape

The vast majority of wines from the Southern Rhône are blends. There are 5 main black varieties, although others are used and the most famous wine of the region, Châteauneuf du Pape, can be made from as many as 13 different varieties. Grenache is the most important grape in the southern Rhône - it contributes alcohol, warmth and gentle juicy fruit and is an ideal base wine in the blend. Plantings of Syrah in the southern Rhône have risen dramatically in the last decade and it is an increasingly important component in blends. It rarely attains the heights that it does in the North but adds colour, backbone, tannins and soft ripe fruit to the blend.

The much-maligned Carignan has been on the retreat recently but is still included in many blends - the best old vines can add colour, body and spicy fruits. Cinsault is also backtracking but, if yields are restricted, can produce moderately well-coloured wines adding pleasant-light fruit to red and rosé blends. Finally, Mourvèdre, a grape from Bandol on the Mediterranean coast, has recently become an increasingly significant component of Southern Rhône blends - it often struggles to ripen fully but can add acidity, ripe spicy berry fruits and hints of tobacco to blends.

The Region

Châteauneuf-du-Pape is the largest and most important wine appellation in the southern Rhône. It is home to more than 3,200 hectares of vineyards and over 80 growers; more wine is produced in Châteauneuf than the whole of the northern Rhône put together. The vineyards are bounded to the west by the Rhône river and to the east by the A7 autoroute.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape was the first ever Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée established in France, in 1932. Small, rounded rocks from the ancient river bed known as galets roulés are a key aspect of what makes Châteauneuf -du-Pape wines so distinctive, with the rocks reflecting heat back into the vines at night, thus increasing ripeness and reducing acidity.

The gloriously rich red wines, redolent of the heat and herbs of the south, are enhanced by the complexity which comes from blending several grape varieties. Fourteen are permitted for reds: Grenache, Mouvedre, Syrah, Cinsault, Vaccarese, Counoise, Teret Noir, Muscadin, Picpoul Noir, Clairette, Grenache Blanc, Rousanne, Picpoul Gris and Picardin. With red Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Grenache typically dominates with Syrah and Mourvèdre in support.

White Châteauneuf-du-Pape is becoming increasingly sought-after, even though it represents less than 10 percent of the total production. Here, five grapes are permitted: Grenache Blanc, Clairette, Roussanne, Bourboulenc and Picardin.